August 09, 2013

Slate and Mother Jones ban "Redskins"

By Lacey JohnsonThe online magazine Slate.com and two other publications have said they will no longer refer to the National Football League's Washington, D.C., football team as the "Redskins," a name Native Americans have condemned as offensive.

The Washington franchise has long declined to change its name in spite of criticism from Native Americans and others. A group of Native Americans has gone to court to void the federal trademark protections of the team's name.

"This is the last Slate article that will refer to the Washington NFL team as the Redskins," Slate editor David Plotz wrote on the magazine's website on Thursday.

He said the decision was about recognizing that "something that may seem innocent to you may be painful to others."

In response to Slate's announcement, New Republic editor Franklin Foer Tweeted on Thursday that his publication would follow suit.

The liberal magazine Mother Jones said on Friday it would also avoid using the name.

Now, if they kept publishing the name, and did it as R_______, that would show that the name DID exist, and that it was controversial, and the paper was treating it the same way S___ and F___ are often treated.